The Lump Sum Crossroads
A Complete Picture of How Corporate Relocation Strategy Is Changing
Navigating Corporate Relocation in 2026
The relocation market moved fast, and it did not move in one direction. North American Van Lines commissioned an independent survey of 320 HR, mobility, and procurement professionals across five industries to find out what actually happened. Lump-Sum Policies are now the most widely adopted policy type in domestic corporate relocation at 82.8%, and they account for 63.4% of majority relocation volume. Yet 50.6% of all respondents plan to expand Full-Service Relocation within the next 12 to 24 months. That is the single most common forward-looking action in the entire survey.
This report is the third in North American Van Lines' annual Corporate Relocation Research Series. It builds on the 2024 Corporate Relocation Study and the 2024 Mobility and Mindsets Study to give mobility leaders a three-year view of how relocation strategy has evolved, not just a single snapshot.
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Here are some of the key findings from the study:
- The market shifted, then started to course-correct. Lump-Sum Policies grew from 29.4% employer-reported use in 2024 to 82.8% adoption in 2026. Full-Service Relocation fell from 57.3% majority volume to 21.6%. But forward-looking intent tells a different story than current volume does.
- The 50.7% signal inside the lump-sum market. Among the 203 companies currently running a Lump-Sum Policy as their majority program, 103 plan to expand Full-Service Relocation. More than half of the largest segment in the market is planning to add structured support.
- Full-Service Relocation outperforms on the outcomes tied to talent. Full-Service leads Lump-Sum on employee satisfaction (58.0% vs. 54.2%) and job offer acceptance impact (53.6% vs. 48.8%), while staying nearly even on cost predictability (55.1% vs. 54.2%).
- Portfolio thinking is now the market standard. 57.2% of companies run more than one relocation policy type. Among those multi-policy companies, 69.9% include Full-Service Relocation in the mix and 62.3% run Full-Service alongside a Lump-Sum policy at the same time.
- What is driving lump-sum users to reconsider? Their top reported challenges are employee stress or confusion (48.8%), cost variability (48.8%), exception requests (44.3%), vendor oversight complexity (35.5%), and inconsistent experience across employee levels (32.5%).
- The governance gap. 83.1% of companies describe their relocation programs as clearly defined, yet 80.6% report at least occasional exception requests and 32.8% handle exceptions case-by-case with no formal rules. Well-written policy documents alone are not solving the problem.
- Industry benchmarks. Technology shows the strongest lump-sum orientation at 69.6% and the highest full-service expansion intent at 56.3%. Manufacturing retains the strongest Full-Service Relocation base among the major industries at 25.6%. Finance and insurance run the most diversified policy mix.
- Company size benchmarks. Mid-market companies in the 500 to 999 employee range show the highest full-service expansion intent at 59.1%. Companies with 10,000 or more employees show the highest reimbursement rate of any size tier at 22.9%.
- What is behind program change? Cost control leads at 55.0%, but employee experience priorities (43.1%) and talent acquisition competitiveness (38.4%) are close behind. Only 15% of companies expect no change at all, meaning 85% of the market is in active motion.
- Remote and hybrid work is still unsettled. 29.4% say hybrid work increased their lump-sum usage, while a combined 23.1% say it increased their use of structured policies. Another 30.6% report no major impact, which suggests many organizations have not yet re-evaluated the relocation value equation.
Who should read this study
This report was built for HR leaders, mobility managers, talent acquisition teams, and procurement professionals who need peer benchmarks before their next policy review. Section 12 includes three strategic profiles with specific guidance depending on whether you run a Lump-Sum Policy as your primary program, run Full-Service Relocation as your primary policy, or are building or rebuilding your policy mix from the ground up.
Closing:
The lump sum versus full-service debate is over, and neither side won. Companies are building layered programs that put structured lump-sum benefits behind general population moves and full-service support behind the moves where employee experience determines whether the relocation succeeds. This study gives you the benchmarks to see where your own program sits and the performance data to make the case internally.
North American Van Lines has been recognized as having the highest customer satisfaction among relocating employees for eight consecutive years, per Trippel Survey and Research.
Please feel free to contact Bobbi Maniglia, VP of Corporate Relocation Services, with any questions regarding this study.
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